1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a centrifugal or extraction apparatus for extracting juice and pulp from food or vegetable products. The term “vegetable products” is understood to mean fruits such as apples, pears, strawberries and bananas etc. The term “vegetables” is also understood to mean vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, radishes and turnips etc. The aim of the disclosed embodiments is to make the use of such an apparatus easier. The disclosed embodiments relate to the domain of food products and food processing apparatus.
2. Brief Description
A juice extractor comprises a tank, a cylindrical strainer with an X-X′ symmetrical axis, a base and a food pusher. The base encloses an electric motor which spins a drive shaft which extends outside the base. The tank is fixed on the base and is transpierced by the drive shaft. The strainer is suspended in the tank being supported and spun around the X-X′ axis by the drive shaft. The food pusher forces the vegetable products in the strainer into contact with a bottom of the strainer.
In the state of the art a juice extractor is known which comprises a strainer having a radial wall and a bottom. The radial wall is pierced with holes and the bottom is solid. This bottom presents means for shredding products introduced into the juice extractor on an internal face of the strainer. These means for shredding grate the products. The products thus grated are then expulsed, by centrifugal force, in the direction of and through the radial wall with a view to extracting their juice. The advantage of this juice extractor is that the juice obtained is pure and that the output is high.
However, the pips, the pieces of skin, the fibres and the residues stick against the radial wall of the strainer and spin with the strainer. A residue is the last remaining piece of the vegetable product after processing. The juice extractor works with the food pusher which remains still and the strainer which spins. To avoid the food pusher from scraping against the spinning strainer and to prevent them from damaging each other, there must be room for manoeuvre between the food pusher and the strainer. Thus, because of this room for manoeuvre, the vegetable product residues appear at the surface of the strainer after complete insertion of the food pusher into the spout.
However, the presence of these residues causes an imbalance in the spinning strainer. The spinning of the strainer coated in these residues causes the juice extractor to vibrate. These vibrations cause the juice extractor to move when it is being used.
Another type of juice extractor is known which is has a spout which is relatively narrow. The term relatively narrow is understood to mean that the spout permits the introduction of vegetable products which are cut up and/or in small sizes. Such a juice extractor makes it possible to obtain small sized residues. The term small sized residues is understood to mean that the presence of such residues does not cause the juice extractor to vibrate when it is being used. But the pre-cutting of vegetable products into several pieces is time consuming for the user of the juice extractor.
Yet another juice extractor exists which includes a strainer with a radial wall which forms a truncated part, of which the narrowest part of the cone is situated close to the bottom of the strainer. This radial wall is perforated in such a manner as to allow the juice but not the fibre of the food products to pass through it. The bottom of the strainer is flat and serrated. The bottom of the strainer is formed like a cheese grater. The vegetable products are pressed against this bottom by the food pusher to be grated by this said bottom in such a way as to extract the juice from these products. The advantage presented by this juice extractor is that fruit pulp for example does not remain in the strainer; it is extracted to a bowl situated next to the tank. By contrast, the juice is not pure and the output is poor.